Parents seek different birthing experience at new centre

Stuff.co.nz

Parents seek different birthing experience at new centre

CAMERON BURNELL

Margaret and David Murphy said they chose to have their second child, Chloe, at the Te Awakairangi Birthing Centre because they were not expecting a medically assisted birth. They were attracted to the centre because it offered a "calmer and more comfortable" environment than a hospital.

Born at 10:23pm on July 17 – Chloe Murphy was the first baby to be delivered at the Te Awakairangi Birthing Centre.

Her parents, Margaret and David, are part of a growing number of Kiwi parents choosing to forego hospitals in favour of birthing centres.

Since opening seven weeks ago 21 babies have been delivered at the Lower Hutt facility.

Servicing the Wellington region, Te Awakairangi is the third such facility opened by Birthing Centre Limited. The company offers similar services at Tauranga's Bethlehem Birthing Centre and Te Papaioea Birthing Centre in Palmerston North.

Te Awakairangi clinical manger Jacqui Paine said more than 1400 babies had been born at the centres since Bethlehem opened in 2014 and the number of parents using their services was growing. .

Bethlehem delivered 223 babies in its first year of operation between 2014 and 2015. Now in its fourth year, 354 babies have so far been born at the Tauranga centre.

The centres specialise in midwife-led natural birthing – vaginal births that avoid the use of drugs or medical intervention.

Having naturally given birth to her first child in hospital, Margaret Murphy expected a similar experience with Chloe.

"I had a great experience at the hospital for what it was but it's the difference in having the comforts of home as opposed to being at a hospital."

Not expecting a medically-assisted birth, she said the "calmer and more comfortable" environment in addition to the centre's focus on post-natal care had made the birthing centre a better fit for her.

"You have the undivided attention of staff. [At hospital] they get very busy and they often have to rush off, or if you need anything you have to go and find someone.

"If you are healthy and aren't expecting problems you'd be silly not to come here."

Paine said the concept of birthing centres was not new but they had fallen out of favour as births become more medicalised in the latter part of the 20th century and hospitals became more popular as birthing venues.

Parents-to-be were now more aware of the options open to them and wanted to be more involved in their child's birth.

"[Mothers] don't want to be a passive participant. They want to be informed and where they are giving birth is a part of that," she said.